Last Updated on February 20, 2016
Just ask someone who has gained valuable insight about a new love or a new career opportunity from a psychic reading if psychics are real, and they’ll tell you how life transforming a psychic reading can be. But unfortunately, psychic scams are also a reality. There are people out there who prey on others and use psychic readings to do so. However, it’s a mistake to judge all psychics negatively because of a few scammers. Think about it. During the recent housing market many mortgage lenders scammed people into taking out mortgages that they could not afford, but that didn’t mean that all mortgage lenders were bad. The reality is that there are people willing to scam you in any profession, including the psychic industry.
Luckily there are ways to recognize a psychic scam.
Psychic scams usually revolve around fear. A reputable psychic seeks to empower you to make your own choices by giving you insights that are designed to help you. However, a psychic scammer seeks to scare you into paying them more money to fix a certain problem. A common psychic scam is one in which the psychic tells you that there is a curse on you and they can remove it — for an extra fee of course. Other common psychic scams involve psychics telling you that you’ll never have the relationship you want or the money you want or anything you want, for that matter, unless you pay for an additional service by the psychic.
Another sign that you might be dealing with a psychic scammer is if the psychic tries to get you to depend on him or her for your answers. Again, reputable psychics want to empower you to make your own choices. Real psychics don’t attempt to take your free will away. If a psychic is asking you probing questions before giving you any information, this is another sign that this psychic may be a scammer. Even if the psychic is not scamming you, if they’re asking you a lot of questions and not giving up any information, they may not be compatible with you, and you should find another psychic.
How to avoid psychic scams
Luckily there are ways to avoid psychic scams.
—Look for tested psychics. One way to weed out the true psychics from the scammers is to look for those who have been tested by the services that they work for. Not all psychic services test their readers. With some, any person can sign up to be psychic reader and the service will hire them. Services like that are breeding grounds for psychic scammers. One service that has one of the most thorough psychic screening processes out there is Psychic Source. Every person that applies to be a Psychic Source psychic must give readings to multiple staff members and other more experienced psychics to ensure that the applicant’s readings are accurate. Avoid roadside psychics that have a glowing palm in the window and offer $5 palm readings. These are the ones most likely to make their money trying to convince you that there’s a curse on you.
—Take advantage of free promotions. Some psychic services give you the opportunity to try a psychic out either by offering a free question, a couple of minutes free or some other type of promotion. These deals are helpful because they give you a couple of minutes to speak to a psychic at no or low cost to see if the psychic is a fit for you. This takes some of the risk out of getting a psychic reading from a stranger. Psychic Source gives you three minutes free with your first reading with them. One of the more popular promotions from psychic service Keen offers a 10-minute reading for only $1.99. It’s very difficult to top such a deal.
—Trust your intuition. One of the best ways to avoid psychic scams is to trust your own intuition about a psychic reader. If you feel uneasy about the information that is being given to you, or you instinctively don’t trust the psychic reader, pay attention to that. Ultimately, your own intuition will guide you to the psychic reading or psychic service that is the best fit for you.
